Assemblywoman Calhoun notes that 2,100 state workers double-dip, too

When the names of two longtime state legislators from Orange County showed up in December on lists of double-dipping politicians, it hit people here the wrong way.

BY DOYLE MURPHY

When the names of two longtime state legislators from Orange County showed up in December on lists of double-dipping politicians, it hit people here the wrong way.

Residents of Sen. Bill Larkin and Assemblywoman Nancy Calhoun's districts called it reprehensible, insensitive and shameful.

Calhoun, R-C-Blooming Grove, said maybe 14 people contacted her. She saw political motivations behind some of the people, but others seemed sincere and concerned. Calhoun, like Larkin, had filed her retirement papers at the end of 2010 and will begin collecting her pension on top of her salary as a returning assemblywoman. The gross monthly payments of $4,765.50 will add $57,186 annually to her base salary of $79,500.

Larkin, R-C-Cornwall-on-Hudson, didn't respond to an interview request Thursday and previously has declined to reveal the amount of his pension. According to the state comptroller, however, his monthly pension payments will add another $58,503 to his $79,500 base salary by the end of the year.

Calhoun said she calls people back to personally explain her decision. Every conversation begins with "I understand, and I know you're upset ..."

Calhoun said there are misconceptions about the pension system. While politicians have taken the most heat for double dipping, she points to data from the state comptroller that shows more than 2,100 state employees draw both pensions and salaries.

"This is not something that was done for legislators," she said, "It was for everybody."

Calhoun ultimately could have taken a larger pension if she'd filed for it at the end of her term instead of the beginning, but she said she will have five kids in college and wanted to help them now. A 1995 bill closed the loophole that allowed the practice, but employees who already were in the system can still "retire" and continue to work after turning 65 years old.

Bob McEvoy, a professor of public administration and policy at SUNY Albany, said pensions for public employees in New York were traditionally very generous because the state couldn't match the more lucrative salaries of the private sector. Reforms have stepped them back throughout the years as the gap has narrowed between public and private sector salaries.

As for double-dipping, McEvoy said, it's a common practice that can let employers find or keep people with valuable skills, often for cheaper than hiring someone else.

It's not all about the money. Michele Murphy is a Blooming Grove councilwoman in Calhoun's district. She declined a 3 percent raise — $250 — because, she said, it seemed wrong to take any extra money when struggling residents were showing up to council meetings because they could no longer afford even modest increases in their trash bills.